


Fallen Stars

by bmovies212



Series: Earp Wars [5]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Baby Wynonna is a cutie, Bunny is a bitch, F/F, Flashbacks, HaughtPrompts, Near-Rape trigger warning for the third section, Other, Rosita is a bitch, Setting up the next part, So is Baby Waverly, Twitter: WayHaught Weekly Prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23239816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmovies212/pseuds/bmovies212
Summary: As a comet takes its twenty-plus year journey through the galaxy, it passes in and out of the lives of the Earps and their fated companions.....
Series: Earp Wars [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1494062
Comments: 8
Kudos: 7





	Fallen Stars

**Author's Note:**

> The HaughtPrompt this was written for was 'Fallen Star'. I took some liberty with just what that means. See, a falling star is just another name for a comet, and comets take a long time to travel on their path through the galaxy. Once I hit upon that notion, the rest of the story fell into place, helping this to serve as a massive prequel for the whole series of "Earp Wars' and the still-to-come-at-the-time-I-write-this next part, Return of The Heir.

_The comet was old._

_It had made it’s regular and predictable loop through this area of the galaxy many times. By human reckoning, it took a good twenty-two years to circle around before someone could see it again. Quick, by galactic standards, but measured against a human life, twenty-two years could be a lifetime…or at least a good portion of one._

_Twenty-two years…_

“Wynonna, wait up! Daddy’ll be mad!”

The exuberant four-year old ignored her older sister, determined to beat her to the top of the rockpile. Their father would be in town for at least another two hours – more, if he decided to stop by Shorty’s…which he usually did. Wynonna glanced behind her and saw that Willa was only now passing the barn. She’d beat her by _miles_ —

“Whoa!” Her foot landed funny and suddenly Wynonna was sprawling in the dirt. She felt herself slide forward at least another five feet before coming to a halt. Within seconds, a familiar hand was holding her down before an even bigger weight pushed itself against her back as Willa sat fully on her, pinning her to the sand.

“Say uncle.” Willa smirked, confident in her victory.

“You cheated.”

“Really? How do you figure?”

“I don’t know, but you definitely did!”

“Right…” Willa laughed and stood up before bending down to pull Wynonna to her feet. “You don’t think I caught up just because I’m taller?”

“You were miles behind,” Wynonna pointed out, determined not to lose this victory.

“You had a head start.”

“And if I hadn’t tripped, you wouldn’t have _ever_ caught me. Cheat.” Wynonna stuck her tongue out at Willa to emphasize her point.

Willa rolled her eyes. “Fine. I admit it. At some point between making sure you’re fed and the homestead is clean, I snuck out here and set up a bunch of motion sensors in random spots _just in case_ you happened to run out here.”

“I knew it.”

“You’re just lucky you hit one of the level one traps. The higher levels…” Willa shuddered.

Wynonna swallowed nervously. “The higher luh…liv….higher what?”

“Well, the ones just stop you temporarily. Some of the twos, like out by the barn, put you in a tiny little cage that you can barely turn around in.” Willa slowly approached Wynonna, her eyes dancing. “Threes, now….those will vaporize you so quick you won’t even know what happened. They’re not the worst, though…”

“Wha—” Wynonna’s voice squeaked, and she swallowed, determined not to let the fear show. “What else is there?”

“Revenants. Daddy told me not to tell you, but he’s got a few caged and buried on the property. he can’t even remember how long they’ve been under the dirt, baking, starving….”

Wynonna could barely breathe. “Where?”

“Close. So close. In fact—” Willa gasped and fell back. “Wynonna, it’s behind you! Look out!”

Wynonna whirled and backpedaled and barely kept her feet, but there was nothing. Could revs turn invisible? “I don’t see—” Suddenly she was being picked up, and she screamed….until she realized that Willa was laughing. “I told you,” said the older girl. “It was behind you.”

Wynonna punched out at her sister, and Willa relented and brought her back to the ground. Willa smiled again and ran a hand through Wynonna’s hair, frizzy and curly and all over the place – so different from her own straight and composed style. “Where were you running to, anyway?”

“The cliffs.” The way Wynonna said that said that it was the only logical place to go, and why wouldn’t she be?”

“Okay….and what’s at the cliffs?”

“Stars!” Wynonna pointed upward. “I wanted to get close to them, like great-grandpa Wyatt did!”

“Okay, dummy, you know you can’t do that, right? We’re still on-planet, and the only way we’re getting off is if we steal a ship?”

“Great!” Wynonna moved to run again, but this time Willa was able to grab her in time. Wynonna struggled for a second, and then stopped. Willa came around and looked her in the eye. “Is that all you wanted? Just to see the stars? Cuz we can see them fine from here.” Willa pointed upward, and then lay down in the dirt next to Wynonna, patting a spot next to her. Wynonna joined her sister in the dirt and looked upward.

“There’s so many….” said Wynonna, her tiny voice betraying just the smallest hint of wonder. “Do they all have names?”

“No, some just got numbers. Not enough people willing to live on not-so-nice planets, so….”

Wynonna nodded and lifted her finger, pointing it at individual stars in the sky. “Sandy, Sunny, Cloud, Stone…”

Willa chuckled. “You naming them, now?”

“No,” said Wynonna quickly. She stopped not naming them and just looked upward. “Which one is Mama on?”

“What?” Willa’s voice was sharp, her tone no longer playful.

“Well….she’s gotta be on one, right?”

“Mama left, ‘Nona. She didn’t want to be here, so don’t give her one second of time in that skull of yours.”

“But—”

“That’s enough.” Willa got up and roughly pulled Wynonna to her feet. “Daddy’ll be on his way, probably. We need to be back in there with everything straight.”

“Okay,” said Wynonna sullenly.

“Good.” Willa turned and began marching back towards the house. Wynonna paused and looked up at the night sky one more time. A brief streak of light rode across the sky as she did; maybe a passing freighter, maybe a shooting star, maybe her imagination. Without knowing why, she closed her eyes and thought at the star, _Bring mama back to me_.

“Wynonna!” shouted Willa. “Hurry up! I’m not joking!”

Wynonna rolled her eyes. “I’m coming!” She picked up the pace and ran ahead, angling for the homestead….

_The comet knew nothing of life. It was a mass of matter, a white-hot collection of material that was even older than it was, perhaps as old as the universe itself. Sometimes as it passed through systems, it shed part of itself, becoming smaller and less important. Other times, it passed through a crowded area where it crashed into something that it collected, becoming even bigger, continuing a growth process that had been started ages ago…._

The stuffy halls of the palace library echoed with laughter as the child ran up and down the many aisles. Although she was young, having not yet reached her fourth birthday, her natural charisma was already present. Whereas other children behaving in such a manner would earn a scowl from the staff, when she did it, something about her just caused everyone to smile and indulge her eagerness.

It was an indulgence Queen Michelle was thankful for. Despite the respect most of the servants and people gave her, she knew they still regarded her as an outsider – some backwater girl their king just happened to fancy as he was touring the systems in his youth, and who had reached out to him for help in getting away from a husband who was more like the monsters he chased than he let on. At first she had tried to dissuade them of this, but after two years of being the perfect Queen and being overly kind to people, she had gotten bored….and naturally, someone had noticed.

_“They hate me, Julian. It doesn’t matter what you tell them.”_

_“Hate’s a bit of a strong word, isn’t it?” Julian says, the sunlight shining in on the veranda practically reflecting off his skin. “They just don’t know you, that’s all.”_

_“Oh, yeah, that’ll work wonders. I’ll just head down to the closest tavern, drink the place dry, and have an all-night party. I’m sure all the previous queens did the same thing.”_

_Julian smiles and laughs. “Well, actually, my mom—” He stops when he sees the look on her face. “Not the time. Right.”_

_Michelle huffs and heads back inside. She takes the thin yet expensive headpiece off her head and examines it briefly before tossing it onto the bed. She hears Julian come in behind her but doesn’t turn to acknowledge him. A cry sounds from the anteroom that is doubling as a nursery and both royals head for it._

_When they arrive, a harried-looking nurse is standing over young Waverly. She is attempting to sing her to sleep, but the one-year old is having none of it. “Come on, princess…once more…_ Bye, baby bunt-ing. Daddy’s gone a-hunting. Gone to get a rabbit—”

_“Is that really the best choice for a lullaby?” Michelle says crossly._

_The nurse, Eliza, jumps and turns, looking guilty. “Apologies, milady. I…don’t know very many songs.”_

_Julian steps in. “It’s fine, Eliza. I’m sure—”_

_“Fine?” Michelle says, incredulous. “She was singing about Daddy being gone. That’s how kids get abandonment issues.”_

_Now it’s Eliza’s turn to look offended. “My father sang that to me every night.”_

_“Yeah?” says Michelle, forgetting at least for now to act regal. “And what did he do?”_

_If Eliza is surprised at how informal the queen is being, she doesn’t let it show. “He was in the guard.”_

_“Color me surprised,” says Michelle sarcastically. She leans into the crib and immediately sees the problem. “Her blanket’s off.”_

_“It’s sixty degrees out and getting warmer. I didn’t want her drowning in sweat.”_

_“Well…” Michelle tries not to be too mad at that. “She’s too young for that. At this age, babies like being snug and tucked in.” A thought occurs to her. “How many children have you taken care of?”_

_Eliza hesitates, and her gaze drifts to Julian. A moment later, she says, “I have protected seven children of various—”_

_“Wait,” says Michelle. She fixes Waverly’s blanket, and the girl stops fussing. She smiles briefly up at Michelle before her eyes drift shut, falling asleep almost immediately. That settled, Michelle turns back to Eliza. “Protected?”_

_Eliza’s gaze drifts to the king again, and Michelle glances back to. Julian looks uncomfortable as he says, “Tell her.”_

_“Tell me what?” says Michelle, the suspicion gone from her voice, replaced now by worry.”_

_Eliza sighs. “Protected as in guarded, not taken care of.”_

_“Wonderful,” said Michelle dryly. “So get one of the other nurses—”_

_“None of the regular nurses want to help,” Eliza interrupted. “They’re all too scared of you.”_

_“Scared?” Michelle says. “I’ve been nothing but a perfect queen for over a year, and they’re_ scared?! _”_

_Eliza shrugs. “They know how protective you are of the princess.”_

_“I’m her mother. Of course I’m protective of her.”_

_Eliza cocks an eyebrow at her, and Michelle flushes, her mind going briefly back to Willa and Wynonna. As much she loves them, to bring them here with her would have been too much for the palace to accept. The king bringing home a new wife was one thing, but bringing her two daughters from a previous marriage – a common one, no less – would have been unacceptable in their eyes._

_This all goes through Michelle’s mind in an instant, and then she’s looking at Eliza with new eyes. “So are you even a nurse, then?”_

_For the first time, Eliza smiled. “Technically, I’m a 2 nd lieutenant in the guard on paid leave from that position.”_

_Michelle turns to Julian, who says, “It was the best solution available.” Michelle shakes her head and heads for Waverly, but Julian intercepts her. “What are you doing?”_

_“Taking my daughter,” Michelle says bluntly._

_“Where?” asks Eliza. “Back to Purgatory?” Michelle and Julian both look up, but Eliza is calm. “I’ve read up on that planet, and that is no place to raise a baby like Waverly.” Michelle nearly balks at this until Eliza goes on. “Not to mention, your former husband is still alive and probably would not be overly happy if he saw you again…especially if you showed up with another man’s child.”_

_Michelle closes her mouth. “So what are you saying?”_

_“Simple. You stay here. I stay on and teach Waverly some basic survival and combat techniques when she’s of age, approval pending. I also get to be her – and by extension, your – personal guard until such time as I can no longer reasonably perform those duties.”_

_Michelle looked back at Julian, who seemed ambivalent but reasonable. Michelle thought about it, then nodded._

_“Excellent,” said Eliza. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a ReWriter. She tapped it and immediately a contract appeared on the screen. “If you could just sign this, I’ll send it off and have my stuff moved in to one of the spare rooms on level three.”_

_Michelle looked at the already drawn up contract, then looked back at Eliza. “You’ve been planning this, haven’t you?”_

_Eliza shrugged. “I have no idea what you mean, your majesty.”_

_Michelle laughed. “Eliza, I think we’re gonna end up getting along just fine.”_

Michelle smiled at the memory. Eliza had more than come through – she had both kept Waverly safe and had channeled her energy, managing to build the child into almost a miniature guard herself. Between that and her top-notch tutors, Waverly would be ready to lead anything in any situation by the time she was ten.

 _Assuming she can stay still long enough_ , thought Michelle wryly. “Waverly!” she called. Three seconds later, Waverly was by her side, ducking between two narrow shelves to appear next to her, her hair a mess and a big silly grin on her face.

“Hi, Mama!” she said, her voice a light squeal.

Michelle clucked and shook her head. “God, you’re a mess, girl…how long were you running for?”

“Six minutes and forty-two seconds,” Waverly replied without hesitation. “Eliza says if I can run for ten minutes straight, she’ll teach me how to hold my breath underwater.”

“That’s….fun?”

“I’ll be a fish!” Waverly made her mouth an o and began impersonating a fish. Michelle tried to remain stern, but within seconds she broke down laughing at the sight of her daughter puffing her cheeks out.

“Well, fishes tend to be in schools, Waverly, just like princesses need to be.” She ran a hand through Waverly’s hair in an attempt to smooth it out. “Also, they don’t generally have hair that’s blown every which way.”

“The largest reported school of fish numbered nearly twenty million,” Waverly said quickly.

“Uh-huh, and I bet none of them were as cute and hairy as you,” Michelle kissed her on the nose, and Waverly squealed in delight. Michelle reached behind her and pulled one of her hair ties out from behind her head. “Here, turn around.” Waverly obediently turned and Michelle soon had Waverly’s waves bundled into a small but neat ponytail. “There we go, much better.” Michelle rose and took her daughter’s hand. “Come on. Daddy is probably wondering where his bosses have run off to.”

Waverly smiled and followed along, her step light and happy. Michelle wondered how she had gotten so lucky with her. _God, protect her_ , Michelle thought. _I don’t care what happens to me, but just make sure she’s always got someone…_

_Years passed of which the comet knew nothing. Beings lived and died, loved and lost, met and departed, all without the comet knowing. As it continued it’s long journey across the galactic arm, looping back in the direction it had come, the beings it passed on its voyage remained generally unaware of it in return, too often caught up in their own problems to remark on one specific lifeless rock hurtling through space. It was barely distinguishable as it was when put against the many thousands of ships and stations already littered throughout the galaxy. Sometimes it would veer close enough to one to be seen in the night sky, but few would be those lucky enough and smart enough to know what they were seeing, and what they had missed and lost out on…_

From her seat in the darkest corner of the bar on the ancient space station they had ended up in, Second Lieutenant Nicole Rayleigh Haught ( _FORMER second lieutenant_ , she reminded herself roughly….as if she could forget) saw a chunk of rock hurtling past. Granted, hurtling was a relative term in space, where a star could be over five hundred million miles in diameter and the planets surrounding it could be between forty million miles and three-point-seven _billion_ miles away. If she were to walk that distance, at an average speed of 3.6 miles per hour, it would take her somewhere over a billion hours, assuming she did it without sleeping or pausing. Put that in days, and it was nearly 42.5 million. If she lived for a hundred millennia, she _still_ wouldn’t complete that journey…

Nicole grimaced and took another swig of the drink in front of her. She didn’t even know what it was, exactly, only that the bartender had slapped it in her hand after she growled at him to give her the strongest drink he had. If nothing else, the uniform still served some purpose for intimidation. It wouldn’t be long before word hit the newsnet about the young officer who had killed three innocent guards to break out a known subversive and had stolen precious church property to boot…

Something like that, anyway. She was sure the brass were already cooking up a good story to explain away everything that had happened when she saved that old man from her fellow guards…not that she regretted it. Whatever else she may be, simply watching someone get beat up for no reason, especially when they couldn’t even help themselves, was too much. She’d gotten enough of that at home, watching her mother and father rise through the ranks as she grew up, left in the care of whatever service droid was available. They were both lifers for sure, and while she might not _agree_ with every policy handed down, it was already a foregone conclusion she would join the service, too. Command had held no appeal for her, though – she would much rather be in the thick of it, keeping the peace on the front lines and getting to know her fellow being.

“Not gonna happen now, though,” she muttered, taking another swig. Now she was here, holed up in some hellhole bar at the edge of some random system they had jumped into after a full day of running. She was tired, she was thirsty, she was depressed, she needed a change of clothes (since all her belongings were back at the base), and all she wanted was to curl up in a bed somewhere and forget about everything that was happening.

That would have been a little easier if it weren’t for the fact that (a) she had recently attacked and killed several of her fellow guards and helped a prisoner to escape detainment; (b) had stolen a ship from said base in order to assist said prisoner in the execution of said escape; and (c) wasn’t being eyed like a four-course meal by the skeevy bartender. Her gaze flickered to the monitor in the corner of the room, and although it was currently broadcasting a replay of last night’s rollerball derby, the way the guy was looking at her now gave her the uncomfortable feeling that what it had been saying just before game coverage was something she’d prefer no one hear, at least while she was within five-light years of the area.

No sooner had she thought this than the bartender looked in her direction and came out from behind the bar. Quietly, she whispered, “Oh, please don’t come over here, please don’t come over here, please don’t come…” Sure enough, as though the universe was determined to screw her over for leaving a comfortable position in the armed forces, the bartender was making his way towards her as his comrades at the bar watched eagerly. “Shit,” she whispered. Instantly, she was moving, laying a credit chip on the table and heading for the door.

Too late. The guy was already in front of her, stopping her from going farther. “What’s your hurry, lieutenant?” His tone was friendly and charming, but one look in his eyes and Nicole knew there was steel and danger underneath.

“Got an early start tomorrow, friend,” said Nicole, hoping her friendly tone, uniform, and desire to leave would be enough. “Need to be back at base by 2300.”

“What base?” said the bartender, not exactly blocking her in but definitely not moving.

Nicole smiled weakly. “Look, Mr.—”

“It’s Jonas.”

“Jonas…” Jonas smiled when she said his name, and Nicole was starting to doubt her ability to leave without causing a scene. “I only came out here to celebrate with one drink. I’ve had that drink, and now I’d like to leave, so if you don’t mind….”

“A celebration?” Jonas smiled, and Nicole saw how sharp his teeth were. Not quite fangs, but nevertheless that worm in her gut was twisting fiercely now. “We love celebrations here! What’s the occasion?”

Nicole swallowed, but her throat was dry. “My…mother. She just received her own vessel. Couldn’t be with her at the ceremony, so I’m having my own _private_ party for her.”

“This isn’t a party, lieutenant,” Jonas laughed, all but pushing her back into her seat. “This is just one woman drinking alone. Now, if you want a party….boys!” He shouted to his friends at the bar. “Bring over the pink stuff! We’re celebrating!”

“You really don’t have to…”

“No, no, no, we do. Trust me, darlin’, you’re gonna love it.” As he spoke, several of the roughnecks that had been at the bar took seats at or near her table. One of them plopped down a cheap looking bottle that had a slightly dark pink coloring to it.

“What is it?” asked Nicole, not wanting to get a fight started if she could avoid it.

“This, my lady, is called ‘Schnapps’. Goes down smooth and makes for a heck of a party. Have some.” Before Nicole could object, Jonas had popped the lid off the bottle and was sticking it in Nicole’s mouth, forcing her to either choke or swallow. Nicole chose the second option and swallowed for ten seconds before Jonas took the bottle away. “Well?”

Nicole tried to breathe and smile and not retch all at the same time. “It’s….like drinking Christmas?”

Jonas laughed. “Good! That’s a good one! Ain’t she funny, boys?” The hangers-on smiled thinly but had no reaction otherwise. Jonas turned towards Nicole and said, “Tell me something….does that cleverness come with being a Serpenten officer, or is it just natural?”

Nicole forced a smile. “As natural as my hair and your charm, friend.”

“We are friends, now, aren’t we?” Jonas took a swig and offered her the bottle. She took it and had another swallow, a slight buzz forming. “And friends don’t lie to each other, right?”

“No?” asked Nicole.

“So if I was to ask my new friend if she had, say…broken a prisoner out of jail and killed a few of her co-workers….she’d tell me the truth, right?”

“What?” Nicole’s voice rose an octave. “That’s crazy.”

“Really?” said Jonas. He held out a hand and one of his friends slapped a tablet into it. “So…this isn’t you?” He turned the tablet to face her and Nicole was staring at a picture of herself next to an article that stated she had murdered three guards in cold blood, broken out a prisoner, and was currently at large in the southwest sector.

“Sure looks a lot like you, Lieutenant _Haught_.” The chortle he and his friends had at that left no doubt how they were planning on making the evening go. Nicole glanced around, counting heads, and realized how badly she was outnumbered.

“I don’t want any trouble,” she said. “Just let me go, and I’ll never return.”

“But if we do that, who’s gonna pay us?” Jonas grinned again and leaned close to her. “They’re offering a mighty big reward for you, little lady.”

 _Little?_ “Just…tell me what you want, okay?”

Jonas appeared to consider this. “Well, let’s see….you’re on the run and all alone, and I need help drumming up business for my bar here. How about I give you a room in the back and keep quiet, and you can be my new bartender-slash-dancer? How’s _that_ sound?”

Nicole swallowed. “I’m…not really much of a dancer—”

“Well, it wouldn’t be much of a dance. More like you shaking that top-shelf ass of yours whenever I tell ya.” Jonas laughed at his wit, and Nicole shoved him backwards and made to climb over the table to escape. She managed to mount the table when something grabbed at her legs and she went sprawling, crashing off the table and to the floor. She felt herself being roughly turned over and saw Jonas growling at her. “You’re feisty,” he said. “Good. Now—”

A pistol went off and suddenly Jonas wasn’t saying anything. A steaming hole had appeared in the middle of his head. Nicole shoved the rapidly cooling corpse off of her and saw the rest of Jonas’s friends staring behind her. She adjusted her vision and saw Nedley, a scowl on his face and a gun in his hand pointed at all of them….including her.

“You boys stay right where you are,” he said, his voice a low growl. “Girl, you walk over to me, slowly. Don’t try anything.”

Too confused to think, Nicole nodded once and did as the former prisoner asked. He gestured at Jonas’s friends with the pistol. “Any of you idiots follow me or try to call and collect on the bounty yourself, I’ll come back for the rest of you.” He backed out of the bar entrance with Nicole following suit, never taking his eye off the group.

Once they had exited and were out of sight, Nedley let out a breath and turned to Nicole, offering her the gun. “Sorry about that, kid,” he said.

Nicole blinked. “What?”

“Seemed the best way to make those greedy idiots get off you was intimidation. Hope I didn’t worry you overmuch.” He offered her the gun again, and she slowly took it. Nedley nodded once and said, “Come on. We should get back to our ship.”

“Our ship?”

“Yeah, I figure those boys, dumb as they are, won’t wait around too long before calling someone about their dead friend. Plus, I managed to get you some fresh clothes to change into. Can’t be wearing those everywhere, you stick out like a sore thumb.”

“You…so you don’t want to turn me in?”

Nedley looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “For what?” Saving my life?” He shook his head. “Sorry, lieutenant, but that’s not how I was raised.”

Nicole was silent for a moment as they approached the hangar the ship was docked in. “Thank you,” she said quietly. Nedley grunted in response, but nothing more was forthcoming. “You know, you saved me back there, too. If you feel like you owe me, I’d call that paid.”

Nedley opened up the ship and headed for the cockpit. “I wouldn’t.”

“So what are you saying? I’m stuck with you?”

“Yup.”

Nicole thought about this, then smiled. “Okay, I can live with that.”

“Good, though there is one thing…”

 _Oh, no…_ “What?”

“We should probably name our ship. It is kind of a tradition.”

Nicole laughed, surprised. “Name it what? It barely resembles a ship. More like an old hat or something…”

Nedley shrugged. “Well, we’ll think of something, I’m sure…”

_Time passed for the comet, and eventually, it returned back to where it had started. It was not exactly the same comet, but neither was the planet it approached or the galaxy it existed in exactly the same. Time had taken its toll on them as it does all things, and all that remained to mark the passage of that time was the scars…_

Rosita stared into the night sky as Bunny’s men took the massive block containing Nicole out of her ship. In the distance, she saw a streak of light bounce off the atmosphere. In her head, Rositaa did some quick math and realized it was probably the same comet Wynonna had once run out to see when they were kids, twenty-some years and a lifetime ago, back when she was still Willa. “What do you know about that…” she whispered to herself.

“Something the matter, dear?” said a voice behind her, and Rosita turned to see Bunny oozing her way, in all her sluggy glory. 

“Not at all,” said Rosita, forgetting about the past and focusing on the job. “Are we good?”

Bunny harrumphed and watched the block being carried into her fortress. “You’ll get your money, don’t worry.”

“One payment,” Rosita specified. “Within the day.”

Bunny’s giant eyes shifted sideways. “Certainly we can work something out…”

“I just told you the work out,” Rosita said sharply, her attention fully on Bunny as her computer picked up on her thoughts and began targeting weak spots on Bunny’s anatomy.

Amazingly, Bunny pressed her point. “What if you stayed on for a bit?”

Despite herself, Rosita backed down. “What?”

“Well, we both know how popular that red-headed bitch is…” Bunny smiled. “It could be that her friends will come after her.”

“So what are you saying?”

“You stay on officially. Six months, maybe a year…long enough to ensure that no troublemakers come to take my trophy away. We negotiate a salary compounded with your fee for delivery, and you get paid that in installments over the next however many months. If all goes well, I simply pay you to take a vacation. If not….” Bunny shrugged and smiled. “You get to kill some more people.”

Rosita thought about it. As much as she wanted to be paid, it would be nice to take it easy for a while. Robert might miss her, but that was what vidcalls were for. As for the other point…

“Fine,” said Rosita.

“Splendid,” said Bunny. “I’ll ready a room for—”

“Don’t bother.” Rosita strode toward her ship. “I already have a place to stay nearby. I’ll call you later to go over everything.”

One of her rear cameras picked up Bunny’s face as Rosita left her behind. “What the hell does _that_ mean?”

Rosita ignored her. _It means_ , she thought in her Willa-voice _, that I’m finally heading home_ …

_Having returned to where it started, the comet fell back onto its fated path, its future unknown but its destiny assured. Whatever was seen before would be seen again, sooner or later…_

Some distance away from Bunny’s fortress, a pair of eyes watched Bunny and Rosita talk through an old pair of binoculars. The binoculars were lowered and the face the eyes were in turned to look at the person standing nearby.

“We got her,” Nedley said to Shae. “Call Wynonna.”

_….sooner or later…_


End file.
